January 2, 2026
Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church [John the Baptist] said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” It seems clear from the Scriptures that many thought that John was the long-awaited messiah. In fact, a […]
January 1, 2026
Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God Though New Year’s Day may seem more like a day for football and resolutions than for Mary, there’s a beautiful spiritual significance in celebrating her today as the Holy Mother of God. Mary was not only Jesus’ mother in a biological sense. Rather, her most profound union […]
December 31, 2025
Mysterium Iniquitatis Here we go again! The last day of the year brings a reflection on the past and a hope for a better year ahead. This hope has merit, but a certain nursery rhyme is instructive: “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” Hoping for something to happen doesn’t mean dreams will come true. […]
December 30, 2025
One of the arts and practices of Christmastime has been writing cards and letters. It’s a chance for us to stay connected and hear the year-long journey in a short page or two, and for us to share ourselves. We learn about the cycle of one another’s lives, the hopes and dreams, the additions to […]
December 29, 2025
Believing the Unbelievable By now, some of those colorful, plastic trees have been put back in the box. The traditional live trees have begun to shed their leaves. It’s over—time to move on, but wait. Behind every story lies another one to be told. The Presentation in the Temple is one story that is a […]
December 28, 2025
Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Relating to the Feast of the Holy Family may be a challenge today. There appears to be so much that sets them apart from ordinary families. Especially today, when there is such a diversity of family structures. The perfection of the Holy Family provides a […]
December 27, 2025
In the first reading, 1 John 1:1-4, Saint John points out some of the facts of Jesus. What we have heard, seen with our eyes, looked upon, and touched with our hands; all of this concerns the Word of life. He goes on to say what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you; […]
December 26, 2025
Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr Saint Luke, in the Acts of the Apostles, offers a profound account of the Church’s first martyr, Saint Stephen. His narrative doesn’t just recount Stephen’s death—it reveals the Spirit’s power at work in the early Church. Luke’s incidental mention of a young man named Saul, standing by as Stephen […]
December 25, 2025
Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Isn’t Christmas a beautiful feast? Christmas is a feast of joy. What gives our Christmas celebration its charm, its joyful songs, uplifts our hearts? Isn’t it the Eucharist? Isn’t Jesus reborn among us, on our altars, though in a different condition? …-Peter Julian Eymard Unless you become as little children, […]
December 24, 2025
Be of good cheer! The end of our waiting time is near! It is no surprise that today’s scriptures focus on prophecies about the coming of our Messiah, the Son of God. One is centuries old at this Nativity: the prophet Nathan bringing God’s word to King David. The second prophecy comes just months before […]